A gunman opened fire in a packed theatre near Denver at a showing of the new Batman film in the early hours of Friday (20Jul12), killing 12 and leaving another 59 injured.
Members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences gathered in Beverly Hills to watch the movie on Saturday (21Jul12), and Academy President Tom Sherak urged guests at the Samuel Goldwyn Theatre to remember the victims of the atrocity, according to Deadline.com.
Sherak held a moment of silence and told the audience, “(This was) such a thankless act of violence by a deranged individual who took the lives of so many innocent people and wounded so many others.
“The movie-going experience is one which we should be able to enjoy with others in our community in an environment that is safe. We should be able to go to our local theatres and leave our problems behind and allow the movie to transport us to a place that entertains us and captures our imagination.
“For now though, we understandably feel angst and uneasiness with this tragic event and question the why and the how… Our condolences surely go out to all of them”.
